This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Complex Toronto shelter system masks crowding

As the latest wave of frigid temperatures descends on Toronto, the city’s network of emergency beds, shelters and church basements to keep people off the streets doesn’t appear to be bursting at the seams.

There are more free beds now than there during the warmer months last fall. According to historical data published by the city’s housing and homelessness services, more people use the shelters in October than in any other month.

On Tuesday night, the first after the two men appeared to freeze to death in two nights on the streets of Toronto, there were more than 400 empty spots around the city. Of the 4,635 spaces, 4,233 were occupied — a 91 per cent occupancy rate.

But this rate is deceiving because not all beds are created equal, said David Reycraft, head of the Out of the Cold Program at Dixon Hall.

“When the city says there’s a 93 per cent occupancy rate, that’s surprising to me because our shelters are at 98-99 per cent capacity,” Reycraft said.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Different beds serve different populations, and just because there’s an empty bed in one place doesn’t mean that bed would be suited for everyone.

“Many of the people that use the Out of the Cold Program are people who wouldn’t use the emergency shelters. Often times, they’re people who come to the city and then they’re leaving to other communities in the north,” he said.

The city has a latticework of public, private and volunteer services to put roofs over people’s heads in the winter. In addition to the 9 city-run shelters, there are 49 privately run shelters supported by the city, said Toronto Shelter, Support and Housing spokesperson Patricia Anderson. These emergency shelters provide the lion’s share — 4,074 — of the city’s beds.

Gimme shelter

From November to April, the Out of the Cold program opens up church and synagogue basements, adding anywhere from 60-167 extra spots, depending on the day of the week. When there’s an extreme cold weather alert, the city adds 26 shelter spots and opens two 24-hour drop-in centres, which can accommodate 50 people each. In February, a third, youth-only drop-in centre will be added.

Some of the city’s shelters are reserved for men, others for women, youth or families. All except family shelters are fuller than the city average, a number that is dragged down by the fact that the city has funding to rent motel rooms for 350 family members, yet filled only 69 per cent of them on Tuesday night.

Because of this, research has shown that the shelter system should be below 90 per cent capacity to ensure that everyone can get a bed, said Toronto Councillor Joe Mihevc, a member of the city’s community development and recreation committee, which oversees services for the homeless.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

He said he will be making a motion at the committee’s meeting next Thursday calling on the city to “do whatever is necessary, including opening Metro Hall, to add capacity to the system.”

“We do not have enough shelter beds or Out of the The Cold beds,” Mihevc said Wednesday. “People are being systematically pushed out. We need something to be done yesterday.”

In the meantime, the system tries its best to accommodate everyone, especially when the mercury drops. If someone shows up at a shelter that’s full, the shelter is required to help find that person a space and will give them a TTC token to get there, said Anderson.

And unlike the year-round shelters, which have hard caps, the Out of the Cold program relies on a rotation of informal spaces, each open once a week.

“Typically these are facilities that have quite large (spaces). They’re not going to turn somebody away,” Anderson said. “If they’re funded for 55 guests and a 57th person shows up, they’ll just throw a mat on the floor.”

Anyone looking for a bed should call 311 and they’ll be directed to the nearest shelter with space. The same service can be accessed free from any pay phone by calling 1-877-338-3398.

More from The Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com